Feb. 28, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - As is the case for travelers driving north on I-65, the road to Nashville, Tenn., literally goes through Birmingham. The same can be said of Tuesday's win-or-go-home 2005 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference game between the Samford University basketball team and the Austin Peay Governors at 7:30 p.m., in Seibert Hall.

The winner of the contest heads to Nashville, Tenn., for Friday's semifinal round of the OVC Tournament being held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center and takes one more step towards earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The loser of the game is finished with its 2004-05 season and must begin preparations for next year.

Samford (15-12, 10-6 OVC) enters the eight-team postseason competition as the No. 4-seed and will host its first conference tournament game in school history.

As one of the top-four teams in the OVC's regular-season standings, the Bulldogs earned the right to play at home in the first round where they own an impressive 10-2 record at this season. Samford has outscored its opponents by an average of 10.9 points in Seibert Hall and is shooting a stellar 52.8 percent from the floor.

The Bulldogs are also connecting on 42.5 percent of their 3-point baskets at home this season and hold a near-perfect 7-1 mark against conference opponents. Samford's lone OVC loss in Seibert Hall this season came in a heartbreaking 56-53 defeat against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 10.

Austin Peay (11-18, 9-7 OVC) heads into Tuesday's matchup looking to snap its current three-game losing streak.

After the Governors rallied to defeat Samford, 76-60, on Feb. 17, the team has dropped a trio of tough road contests against East Tennessee State, 85-81, Tennessee Tech, 74-59 and Eastern Kentucky, 70-66, to close out the regular season. Austin Peay has been on the losing end of five of its previous eight games.

The Governors have three players averaging double figures in scoring this season with senior guard Anthony Davis pacing the team at 15.6 points per game. Austin Peay's 6-2 guard from Inglewood, Calif., also leads the squad in assists (74) and is ranked third on the team in rebounding (5.1 avg/g).

APSU's Maurice Hampton adds 14.7 points per contest, while junior center Zac Schlader is scoring at a 12.7 points-per-game clip this season.

Samford's senior forward, Bryan Boerjan, has undoubtedly been one of the team's hottest players as of late.

The Bulldogs' 6-7 native of Rock Falls, Ill., is currently averaging a solid 8.3 points per game this season, but exploded for a career-high 21 points against Jacksonville State on Feb. 22. Since scoring 17 points on the road at Eastern Illinois on Jan. 27, Boerjan is averaging 11.6 points per game and has reached double figures in six of the team's previous 10 contests.

In Samford's last regular-season home game of the season or "Senior Night", Boerjan pushed the Bulldogs to an 84-75 victory over Jacksonville State and registered an 8-of-10 shooting performance from the floor.

Tuesday night's OVC Tournament matchup between Samford and Austin Peay will be the third meeting between the teams this season.

In the opening contest, Samford rallied for a 73-71 overtime victory at home on Feb. 3, while the Governors posted an emotional 76-60 win in Clarksville, Tenn., on Feb. 17. Austin Peay leads the all-time series 8-4, but the teams are deadlocked at 3-3 in games played in Birmingham.

Since head coach Jimmy Tillette took control of the Samford basketball program in 1997, the Bulldogs have accumulated a phenomenal 74-20 overall record while playing in Seibert Hall.

Samford currently owns a 129-101 all-time record under Tillette with 74 of his 129 victories coming at home. Last year, in the Bulldogs' inaugural season in the OVC, Samford posted a brilliant 9-3 mark in Seibert Hall. The Bulldogs' all-time record on the main floor of Seibert Hall is 334-163 for a .672 winning percentage.

The Samford University basketball team will attempt to defeat the Austin Peay Governors at home in Seibert Hall for a second time this season as the teams square off in a do-or-die matchup on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., in the first round of the 2005 O'Reilly OVC Tournament.

Ticket Information
Tickets to Samford's first-round OVC Tournament game will be available to faculty, staff and the general public for pre-sale on Monday from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and again on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The tickets will be sold in the Samford Athletics Department, located in room 301 of Seibert Hall. Student tickets will not be made available for pickup until 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday.

As an official OVC Tournament contest, the game is governed by the league office and its specific regulations concerning admission charges. There will be an admission charge of $10 for adults, $4 for non-Samford college students (with a valid ID) and $3 for children 12 and under. Ages 3 and under are free.

Samford students currently enrolled in classes have been granted free admission to the game by University President Dr. Thomas E. Corts.